J. EDMUND BARNES

BATON ROUGE – LSU and Tulane advanced to the Super Regionals round of the College World Series with victories on Sunday. The Green Wave defeated Oklahoma State 9-8, while the Tigers struggled to a 14-9 win over Virginia Commonwealth University. Clutch-hitting was the key to fifth-ranked Tulane’s win as the winning runs came on a two-RBI single hit by James Jurries. Jurries’ single, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, provided the Green Wave with just enough momentum to hold off Oklahoma State in the ninth inning. This win sends Tulane into the Super Regionals and uncharted territory for the program, as no other Tulane team has ever made it this far into the College World Series. The Cowboys led 7-3 in the fourth, but Tulane was able to pick away at the lead in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. Greenwave pitcher Joey Charron (9-1) was given tournament Most Valuble Player honors for being the winning pitcher in all three games. Tulane’s next challenge is in-state rival and perennial baseball powerhouse LSU, the defending national champions. The Tigers fought off a determined VCU, who won the first game on Sunday by a score of 10-7. In the second and decisive game, the Tigers never trailed, taking a 4-0 lead in the second, and then improving it to 10-4 in the fourth. The Rams were able to fight back in the seventh inning, driving in four runs to make the score 10-8, but the Tigers’ held on for the win, sealing the game with four runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Todd Linden hit a three-RBI home run in the top of the ninth, his second of the day. Linden had an earlier solo shot in the six-run fourth inning. But the man most responsible for the win was pitcher Lane Mestepey. Working on one day’s rest, Mestepey held off VCU for 6 1/3 innings, allowing the Tiger’s bats to give themselves some cushion cushion that they would need in the last third of the game. The Super Regionals will be held at Zephyr field on Friday, Saturday, and if necessary Sunday. Tulane will be bringing pitching and defensive strength to the match, plus the knowledge that they have already beat LSU this year. LSU will bring their big bats to the shrine on Airline and hope that their offense compensates for an anemic defense. The Tigers also carry the emotional burden of Skip Bertmann’s last season, and that alone could propel them all the way to Omaha.